Writer and Creator Luis M. Cruz
Artist and Letterer Miguelangel “Miky” Ruiz
For Cruzin Comics
A couple of common characters that are fairly tough to do are character based on common mystical creatures like werewolves or vampires but part of what makes those mythical creatures so much fun is the fact that they have a rich history and a thick background so character development is always fun to watch happen. Clearly with a title like Jennifer the She-Wolf we know a little bit of what to expect so the character development is key to a story that is almost set for us in the title. The first thing that caught my eye in the story was the very beginning where captions state that it’s the year 1922. I’m a big fan of flashback writing and writing that connects dots with meaning. Cruz sets a base for Jennifer as a character in the first ten pages that are set in 1922, giving us a quick origin to Jennifer and how she became a she-wolf, before he jumps to present day 2017. The first ten pages are enough to get the reader involved and interested in the character before jumping ahead and having the adventure start.
Ruiz has a cartoonish style that fits really well with Cruz’s fun writing style. The first thing that catches anyone’s eye is the cover of a book and Ruiz pulls no punches with his cover. Jennifer, wolves, a full moon, nothing about the title or the cover hides what the book is and the cover is a convincing first image. The cover looks like a nod to Vampirella and the old school sexy pose but Jennifer’s cleavage and outfit is slightly more reasonable in comparison. As I continued I noticed that the book starts in black and white but the cover was in color. It wouldn’t have bothered me if the entire book was in black and white because the art is still good but the black and white was just for the part of the book that was set in 1922, the stuff set in 2017 was in color. I actually really enjoyed the fact that the flashback parts were done in black and white, I feel like it added to the feel of throwback storytelling and helped to set the flashback apart.
Jennifer the She-Wolf is available on Comixology and Luis Cruz can be followed on Twitter.
